ABOUT BENDPAK
BendPak is a leading designer and manufacturer of automotive service equipment, vehicle lifts, parking systems, wheel-service equipment, and related products sold through professional, commercial, retail, fleet, government, and consumer channels. Our engineering organization supports a broad portfolio of products where safety, structural integrity, reliability, manufacturability, performance, and continuous improvement are fundamental to the BendPak standard.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Mechanical Engineer is responsible for the design, analysis, development, testing, certification support, and continuous improvement of BendPak automotive service equipment, vehicle lifts, parking systems, and related products. This position provides hands-on engineering leadership throughout the product lifecycle—from initial concept and structural analysis through prototype development, validation testing, certification, production release, and ongoing product improvement.
The Mechanical Engineer works closely with Product Development, Drafting, Quality, Manufacturing, Purchasing, suppliers, and outside testing/certification organizations to ensure assigned products meet applicable performance, safety, quality, manufacturability, and regulatory requirements. The position is expected to independently evaluate engineering challenges, develop practical solutions, document engineering decisions, and drive assigned projects to timely completion.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Design and develop automotive service lifts, parking systems, mechanical assemblies, structural components, and other assigned products or product improvements.
- Perform and document engineering calculations, finite element analysis (FEA), stress analysis, load-path analysis, material selection, safety-factor evaluations, and other structural assessments.
- Develop and execute engineering test plans; analyze test data and product performance; identify failure modes; and recommend, implement, and validate corrective actions.
- Interpret and apply applicable industry standards, codes, certification requirements, and accepted engineering practices, including ANSI/ALI, UL, NRTL, and other applicable domestic or international requirements.
- Prepare and maintain engineering documentation supporting certification and conformity activities, including calculations, test results, technical files, and submittal packages.
- Develop and maintain Design Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (DFMEAs/FMEAs) and other engineering risk assessments as appropriate.
- Review and approve mechanical drawings, specifications, bills of materials (BOMs), calculations, engineering changes, and technical documentation for accuracy and completeness.
- Work directly with Drafting, Product Development, Quality, Manufacturing, Purchasing, suppliers, and other stakeholders to resolve engineering, production, supplier, and field-related issues.
- Lead or support root-cause investigations involving product failures, field concerns, warranty issues, test failures, and nonconformances; develop technically sound corrective and preventive actions.
- Support engineering change control for released products, including updates to drawings, BOMs, specifications, materials, and manufacturing requirements.
- Continuously identify opportunities to improve product safety, structural integrity, reliability, performance, manufacturability, quality, cost, and serviceability.
- Provide technical guidance and design-review support to drafting/design personnel and other engineers as assigned.
- Maintain organized project records, communicate technical risks and schedule concerns early, and drive assigned engineering deliverables to completion.
ACCOUNTABILITY & OWNERSHIP
The Mechanical Engineer is expected to take ownership of assigned engineering responsibilities and drive them to completion. This includes identifying technical issues early, communicating risks and delays, developing practical solutions, coordinating with affected departments, and ensuring engineering deliverables are accurate, complete, properly documented, and released on schedule.
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related engineering discipline required.
- Professional mechanical engineering experience involving structural steel products, machinery, automotive service equipment, material-handling equipment, or other load-bearing mechanical systems strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated experience with mechanical design, structural calculations, FEA, stress analysis, and engineering problem solving.
- Experience with SolidWorks and PDM or comparable CAD/PDM systems.
- Experience working with Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs), certification bodies, or regulated product standards preferred.
- Experience designing or evaluating welded steel structures, fabricated components, pins, shafts, bearings, hydraulic mechanisms, and mechanical assemblies preferred.
- Professional Engineer (PE) or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) credential is a plus but is not required unless specifically designated for the position.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES
- Strong working knowledge of mechanical engineering principles applicable to steel structures, machinery, mechanisms, materials, and load-bearing assemblies.
- Ability to apply engineering judgment, calculations, analytical methods, and simulation tools to practical product-development and product-improvement problems.
- Ability to understand load paths, stress concentrations, yielding, fatigue, deformation, fracture, buckling, bearing, shear, bending, and other relevant mechanical failure modes.
- Ability to read, create, review, and evaluate engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances, BOMs, test procedures, and technical reports.
- Ability to balance engineering requirements with manufacturability, quality, cost, serviceability, and schedule considerations.
- Strong root-cause analysis and problem-solving skills with the ability to move from observed condition to technically supported corrective action.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical findings and recommendations to engineering and non-engineering stakeholders.
- Ability to organize multiple assignments, establish priorities, work independently, and collaborate effectively across departments.
- Ability and willingness to remain current with applicable engineering technologies, standards, materials, manufacturing methods, and industry practices.
- Comfort working hands-on with prototypes, test articles, production equipment, and mechanical assemblies, including observing tests, taking measurements, inspecting components, and evaluating failures.
WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Work is performed in professional office, engineering, testing, warehouse, and manufacturing environments.
- The position routinely uses computers, engineering software, measurement tools, standard office equipment, and other equipment appropriate to engineering and testing activities.
- The position may require standing, walking, bending, reaching, climbing, inspecting equipment, and working around machinery and test equipment.
- The employee may occasionally be required to operate or assist with machinery and lift or move items weighing up to approximately 45 pounds.
- Specific vision abilities may include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals to perform the essential functions of the position.